Elevate your Pickleball game with off-court drills
Part 2: Improve Your Pickleball Game With Pilates
Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES
Pilates, a discipline known for its core strength, flexibility and body awareness, is a game changer for pickleball players. By incorporating Pilates into your training program, you can enhance agility, stability and overall performance on the court.
Welcome to Part 2 of a Pickleball series where we focus on how Pilates can elevate your game and prevent injury. Don’t miss Part 1 of basic off-court drills tailored to boost your pickleball performance!
Let’s dive into the importance of Pilates and explore how these exercises can help you master the game of pickleball while keeping injuries at bay…
Why Pilates is Essential for Pickleball Players
Pilates emphasizes controlled movements and precise muscle engagement, which are vital for pickleball players. The sport requires quick reflexes, rotational strength and sustained endurance, which are all areas where Pilates excels. Ultimately, Pilates helps build the core strength, flexibility, and stability needed to focus on the field. Pilates also helps maintain a balanced body, preventing overuse injuries, promoting even muscle growth, flexibility and joint mobility.
Top Total Gym Pilates Exercises to Improve Your Pickleball Game
To up your game, I’ve compiled a short list of the best Pilates exercises that every pickleball player should incorporate into their off-court training routines.
Instructions: Perform each exercise slowly with control.
- The focus is on precision, articulation and core activation, rather than speed.
- Aim to perform 8-10 repetitions of each exercise for 1 full round.
- Include these exercises often in conjunction with your off-court training.
- GB = Sliding Table
- Roll Up
- Why: It strengthens the abdominals and improves the flexibility of the spine, helping with smooth and controlled movements.
- Set up: Medium Level, Squat Stance/ Linked Toe Bar
- How: Lie on your back with your legs extended and your arms reaching above your head. Slowly roll through your spine into a sitting position, then stretch forward toward your toes. Scroll down with control.
- Spine Twist & Saw
- Why: It enhances spinal flexibility, mobility and core strength, allowing for more powerful and controlled rotational movements during play.
- Set up: Medium Level, Squat Stance/ Linked Toe Bar
- How (Twist): Sit tall with legs straight and arms out to the sides. Twist your torso to the right and pulse 3 times. Return to center and turn left, pulse 3 times. Repeat 3-5 turns on each side.
- How (saw): Sit with your legs outstretched and your arms at your sides. Twist your torso to the right and reach your left arm toward your right leg, keeping both bones on the mat. Return to center and repeat on the other side.
- Combine Twist & Saw: perform three twist pulses to the right while transferring the 3rd rotation to a saw. Return to center, then run left again.
- Leg circles
- Why: Improves hip mobility and strengthens the core, vital for quick changes of direction and maintaining balance.
- How: Lie on your back with one leg stretched toward the ceiling and the other leg in the Squat Stand. Draw slow circles with the extended leg, keeping your hips stable in the circle. Perform 10 circles in each direction, then switch legs.
- Bridge
- Why: It strengthens the glutes, hamstrings and lower back, which are vital for explosive movements and stability.
- Set up: Medium Level, Squat Stance/ Linked Toe Bar
- How: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on top of the Squat Stand/ Toe Bar. Hinge your hips into a bridge to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Try to keep the GB still. Hold for a moment, then hinge your hips back down to repeat.
LOW LEVEL & CONNECTION CABLES
- The Hundred
- Why: This classic Pilates exercise builds core strength and endurance, essential for maintaining stability and control during competition.
- Set up: Low level, cables connected
- How: Hold onto both cables and lie on your back (supine) with your arms extended across your chest, knees bent and feet on the GB. Simultaneously roll your head, neck and shoulders from the GB while lowering the hands from the hips. Begin to forcefully pump your arms up and down while inhaling and exhaling for a count of five. Complete 10 cycles of five inhalations and five exhalations = 100 repetitions.
- Forward: Lift and extend legs keeping lower back in GB.
- One leg stretch
- Why: This exercise builds core stability and flexibility, helping you maintain balance and agility on the court.
- Set up: Low level, cables connected
- How: Lie on your back with the cables in your hands. Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the mat while lowering your hands to your hips. Bring one knee toward your chest while extending the other leg out. In a smooth and controlled lunge, switch legs and pull the opposite knee in as the other leg extends. Keep the chest lifted and lower the back to the GB throughout the exercise.
- Pilates scissors
- Why: It strengthens the core and hip flexors while enhancing flexibility in the hamstrings.
- Set up: Low level, cables connected
- How: Hold on to the cables and lie on your back with your legs extended toward the ceiling. (Bend knees for modification). Wrap the head, neck and shoulders from the GB while the hands are lowered towards the hips. Start scissoring the legs (one towards the GB, the other towards the chest) switching legs in a scissoring motion.
- Swimming
- Why: It strengthens the back muscles, improves coordination and enhances overall body control, vital for quick, agile pickleball movements.
- Set up: Low level, cables connected
- How: Lie face down (prone) on the GB with the cables in your hands, arms extended toward the vertical column and legs straight. Start by lifting your right arm and left leg off the mat, then switch to the control to lift your left arm and right leg. Pick up speed as you continue to alternate in a controlled swimming-like motion.
- Teaser
- Why: It builds core strength, balance and control, which are essential for dynamic pickleball moves.
- Set up: Low level, cables connected
- How: Place the cables in the hands and sit in the center of the GB with knees bent and feet flat. Roll the spine into a C-curve position and stretch the arms toward the legs. Articulate the spine at the GB while simultaneously extending your arms out to the sides like a T position. Hold for a few seconds, then return to the starting position.
- Step forward by spreading the legs and going into a full Teaser with cables in hand.
BONUS MOVE
- Rolling like a ball
- Why: Pickleball is fun, yet challenging, just like this exercise! This movement strengthens core control and spinal flexibility, which helps with overall body coordination and stability on the court.
- Set up: Low level (no wires)
- How: Get into a GB V sit position with knees bent and feet swinging off the floor while holding the shins. Gently with control, roll back onto your spine, then use your core muscles to roll back to the starting position to find balance and core control.
Watch the video demonstration on how to perform these Pilates exercises to improve your pickleball game at your Total Gym.
Incorporating both targeted strength exercises off the court (Part 1) and Pilates in your training routine provides a comprehensive approach to improving your pickleball performance. Now you have two specific pickleball routines that will help you improve your muscle strength. Alternate them throughout the weekend in conjunction with your pickleball games and in no time, you’ll start to see your strength in your game!
Stay consistent, stay strong and dominate the court!
Mary
@groovysweat
Leave‘s Log in!
IG | FB | TIKTOK | YouTube
